Powerball players say they want to give back to community, families
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Dee Byers (left) assists Genevieve Marszal with her Powerball ticket purchase Tuesday. Today’s jackpot drawing is estimated at $1.5 billion.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Dana Curry of Uniontown said he give to charity and start a community-based nonprofit or foundation.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Lou Nagy said he would open up a soup kitchen.
Robert Gillispie|Herald-Standard
Genevieve Marszal of Brownsville says she would pay off her bills and give the rest to friends, relatives and her church.
Powerball billionaire hopefuls say they would use their huge jackpot to give back to the community if they won.
The winning numbers for the estimated $1.5 billion jackpot will be drawn today. The jackpot has gone unclaimed three times since Jan. 2, with the estimated winnings increasing each time. The jackpot has reached an all-time high.
Many locals hoping for the luck of the draw expressed similar uses for the money — paying off their bills and buying a new house or car. But many also had unique ideas for how to give back.
“I’d open a soup kitchen,” said Lou Nagy of Uniontown as he sipped his daily cup of coffee at Byers Market in Uniontown. “I’d call it Lou’s Soup Kitchen.”
He said he would give some money to his church, St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Uniontown.
“Look around this area. It’s depressed,” he said. “It’s a lot of money. Could take care of a lot of people.”
Dana Curry of Uniontown said he wouldn’t quit his job if he won, but he would buy the dealership where he works.
He said he would give about 30 percent to charity and start community-based non-profits or foundations. He said his non-profits would focus on children in athletics and academics. He would also donate money to scleroderma research, he said. His mother was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease.
Jim Horne of Uniontown purchased his second tickets of the day at Byers Market, after the first ticket won $2.
“I figured lightning might strike twice,” he said.
He said his sister had an idea to use the money to start a small business incubator.
“Try to get the county up and running,” he said.
Horne said he would buy a new car and buy his brother a new house.
“They say the first thing you should do is buy a lawyer and a financial adviser,” he said.
Byers Market employee Dee Byers said the store has been very busy. She said most individuals put between $20 and $40 toward Powerball tickets. Group tickets are often in the hundreds, she said.
“You want the big money,” Byers said to Genevieve Marszal, of Brownsville as she purchased her ticket.
“I hope this store wins,” Maszal said.
She said she would use the money to pay off her bills and give the rest to friends, relatives and her church, St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church in Brownsville.
Lisa Sutherland of Washington, Pa., a social worker who travels throughout Washington County, stopped at Sheetz in Monongahela on Tuesday morning.
Although she had already purchased some tickets, she wanted to grab a few more in advance of the big drawing tonight.
Sutherland’s eyes lit up as she contemplated what she would do with the big prize.
“I’d pay off all of my bills, my parents’ bills and my in-laws’ bills,” Sutherland said. “I would invest most of it, and I would retire.”
Sutherland, who said she only purchases lottery tickets when the pot gets really large, said she would also donate to many of the social service agencies she works with.
Charleroi resident Chris Bennett said he plays regardless of the size of the jackpot.
“You never know when that one time comes,” Bennett said.
“If I hit, I’d take care of my family members and some friends. I’d probably buy a new car and a new house … somewhere where it’s warm.”
George Salaske of Elizabeth said he plays when the jackpot gets large, or “occasionally if a couple of numbers pop into my head.”
“I’d change my lifestyle for sure,” Salaske said. “I’d help children with cancer. Using the money to help children who were sick, that would be a big part of it.”
Many of the hopeful billionaires said they would not want to significantly alter their lifestyle, but make some upgrades and give back.
“I’m not lucky,” Nagy said. “But I’ve been lucky in life.”